


Always Together

by UsatiumEdgitZouskdye



Series: Foxy Phil [5]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Animal Transformation, Fennec Fox, Idiots in Love, M/M, Misunderstandings, Oblivious Clint, Oblivious Phil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-31
Updated: 2015-07-31
Packaged: 2018-04-12 06:39:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4469123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UsatiumEdgitZouskdye/pseuds/UsatiumEdgitZouskdye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been a few days since the bond, and Clint and Phil have been distant. Phil decides to ask Clint whats up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Always Together

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't been posting at all for quite some time. There's been some personal issues I'm going through and I just managed to squeeze this story out. I'm still going through the issues so I might be gone for a while again. I'm sorry in advance, please don't give up on the series, I'll start posting again as soon as I can.

It's been a few days since the bond, and well. Phil's having a bit of a problem. Since the bond finalized, Clint's been a little distant. It wasn't like he was deliberately ignoring Phil. If Phil talked to him he'd respond and they'd still kiss and stuff, but. It was uncomfortable when they were just together. So Phil just tried to stay away so Clint could have his alone time.

On the other hand, Clint was going through the same thing. He thought that maybe Phil might want some time to himself, so that he could think about the changes his body was going through.

After a night of sleep, Clint sat in the living room, watching tv. He figured that if Phil wanted to be near him he'd come. And Phil came. Clint was trying to figure out if he should make the first move or not, and Phil was thinking the same thing.

In the end neither of them did anything. Both lost in their own thoughts, making the air around them tense.

And now it's been some days, and still nothing. Progressively the air got worse, and Phil got worried. So he decided to ask a question.

"Um, Clint?"

Clint looked up, noting that Phil was standing at the end of the couch. Then he looked away. "Yeah, what's up?"

Phil paused for a while. "I- I jus- I was wondering." He took a deep breath, and met Clint's eyes. "Are you- are you happy, here, with me?"

Clint let out a long breath, rubbing a hand over his face. "Dammit Phil, stop doing that." He didn't realize the words were taken the wrong way until suddenly. A mixture of fear, hurt, and regret slammed into Clint's mind, then straight to his heart.

The sudden emotion caught Clint off guard, and he couldn't breathe for a second. He looked up just in time to see Phil's mask coming up. But the mask was betrayed by his tail tucking between his legs, and his ears flattening. There was no point in trying to hide his voice now. "I'm sorry." It was just a whisper, sounding thick, and choked out like his throat was tight.

Clint had caught himself from the overwhelming intensity too late. Phil was already moving. "No, Phil. No, no, no, no, no. Wait!"

Clint shot off the couch, but Phil had already rushed out of the door, so he ran. And of course Phil was running too. Clint was faster, but not fast enough to catch Phil if he was already running. "Phil! Wait, please!"

Phil ran harder, rounding a corner. He just needed to get far enough to slip in a vent. You spend some time with Clint Barton, and you realize that vents are great escape routes.

Clint was a few steps behind Phil. Too close for Phil to veer off anywhere and not be followed. "Phil. Wait."

Phil kept going.

Julie had heard Clint yell along with rapid footsteps. She got outside just in time to see he and Phil rounding a corner. She sighed. "Greg. There's a problem."

Greg got up from the couch and walked over to Julie. "Hm? What is it?"

"Phil is running away from Clint. I don't know why."

"Well we can just, figure out how he's feeling."

"That's not our place right now. We don't know what happened. If they want us involved, they'll come."

––––––––––––––––––

He lost him. Clint, lost him. Phil had stopped running. Clint had his guard down. That's why he wasn't prepared when Phil suddenly ran behind him. Turning him around, twisting his arm behind his back, and kicking the back of his knees. Phil pressed Clint's face to the ground, then shot up, and ran again.

Clint got up and turned just in time to see which direction Phil went. But then he heard a door slam while he was running there. Clint frantically checked every room in the direction Phil went in, but nothing.

Clint ran a hand through his hair. He looked back and forth for any sign of Phil. Nothing. He was just going to have to wait for Phil to talk to him. Then he remembered, Phil's parents.

He made his way back to their apartment, stepping across the hall to knock on the door of where Phil's parents were staying. Greg opened the door, Julie right behind him. "Yes?"

"I messed up again. Me and Phil have been kind of distant from each other since the bond finished. And today, he asked me if I was happy with him, again. And I said, 'dammit Phil, stop doing that', and I think he took it the wrong way, and it hurt him. He closed himself off, threw on a mask to hide it. But his tail tucked between his legs, and his ears went flat, and I felt it. I felt the hurt he was feeling. And then he said he was sorry and started to walk away, and I tried to catch him. But he ran, so I ran. We ran. He got away, I don't know where he is, and I'm so. Fucking. Pissed off. I'm pretty sure it's mostly with myself, but there's another reason there. I just, want... To talk... To... Him-"

Clint had been gesturing wildly, pointing in all different directions, pacing back and forth, and clenching and unclenching his fist. Till finally, he dropped to his knees, then collapsed onto his side. Greg and Julie looked down at him. "They're not very smart." Greg said. Julie nodded in agreement.

Greg settled on the floor next to Clint's prone body. He just tapped him, and Clint shot up like a rocket. Gasping for air and clutching his head. "You burned yourself out. Too much emotion going on for a new bond. The other part of your anger is just the fact that your mate is upset. The headache you've got now, result of burning out, and from the intense anger that's settling in."

Clint held back a groan. Sure enough, anger started to seep into every crevice of his mind. "I have to talk to him."

"Then go talk to him."

"I don't know where he is."

"Yes, you do. Use the bond. You can find him."

Clint tried. He took a deep breath to think about Phil. He tried everything, casually thinking about Phil, thinking about how much he needed Phil when the bond started, everything. But he just couldn't find anything. "I can't do it, and I don't have time to learn how to. Please. Just please, help me."

Greg nodded and stood to switch forms. "You can't know where I find him, so don't follow me, and don't watch me leave. Julie, I might need doors opened." He winked at her.

Greg switched to full fox, and waited for Clint. The man clenched his eyes, and tucked his head between his knees. Greg look back at Julie, and walked right across the hall, into Clint and Phil's apartment, they left the door open.

Greg sniffed around. Phil was definitely in fox form. He was using two things to find Phil. First he used the parent child bond, then he used heightened sense of smell. This lead Greg to the bedroom, and then to the closet.

He smelled the space between the door and the floor. Phil was in there. Greg stuck his paw through to see if Phil would notice, but he didn't. So Greg whined, and scratched the door lightly. A paw stuck out from under the door, and Greg placed his paw over it.

He left to get Julie to open the door. Julie left the door cracked so the two foxes could come out when ready. Greg was in the closet with Phil, who currently only had his head showing. The rest of Phil's body was buried under a pile of clothes, head resting on the floor.

Greg laid down too. "Who's clothes?"

"Clint's."

Phil and his dad were talking to each other with very quiet chirps, and barks. "What happened?"

"I think I overreacted."

"You need to swallow your shame and go to Clint. He got so flustered he passed out."

Phil instantly stood.

"Calm down. He's fine. There's a lot you two need to learn, but for now. Go fix this problem."

Phil worked himself out of the makeshift den, and rubbed his head against his dad's. "Can you go, so I can change back?"

"Like I haven't seen you naked. Who do you think changed your diaper when your mom was on missions."

"That's when I was a baby. I'm grown now."

Greg just bobbed his head, and left. Phil changed back, and put some clothes on. Clint looked up from the floor when he stepped out. "How did you get in there?"

Phil let a smile spread. "The vents."

A short chuckle left Clint. "Can we talk?"

Phil nodded. His parents had already went back inside their own apartment. Clint got up and stepped inside, it was clear that his knees were weak. Once the door was closed, Clint dropped. He hugged Phil around his middle. "I didn't mean it like that."

Phil combed his fingers through Clint's hair. "I thought you were done with me."

"No, never. I just don't like it when you ask me that. Because the answer will always be the same. Of course I'm happy with you, I couldn't be happy with anyone else."

"I shouldn't have ran away like that. I shouldn't be questioning you anymore, because we bonded. That wouldn't have happened if you weren't happy, and I know that. But what I don't know, is why we've grown apart over these last few days."

Clint paused for a moment. "I thought that you might want some time alone to really think about the changes you're going through."

"And I thought that you didn't want me around."

Phil pulled Clint up to sit him on the couch. Clint still wouldn't let go, which was fine. "So we're both idiots again." He said.

"We were never not idiots." Phil pressed their lips together. "I'm sorry I keep doubting you."

Clint laid his head on Phil's shoulder. "What else can I do to prove it?"

Phil smiled. "You've already proved it. I just have to get use to it. And we have to learn how to use the bond properly."

Clint nodded. "Did you cry?"

"No." Phil felt Clint's relief before he heard the sigh of relief. "We should go ask my parents to teach us how to use the bond."

"No."

"No?"

"I want us to figure it out, no help. We can do this our selves. Together."

"Together."

**Author's Note:**

> Any comments appreciated.


End file.
